Automatic grain-weighing apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. WHERRY, Jr.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN WEIGHING APPARATUS. No. 837,906. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

N PE rERs. Pholo-Lflhugmphor. Waahingiun, D. c.

(N0 ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. WHERRY, Jr.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN WEIGHING APPARATUS. No. 337,906. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \VHERRY, JR, OF PUTNAM, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC GRAlN-WElGHlNG APPARATUS.

forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,906, dated March 16, 1886.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN WHEERY, Jr., of Putnam, in the county of Putnam and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain and Seed Registers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic mechan- -ism for weighing and registering successive weights or charges of grain, seeds, and other dry substances which will flowin mass.

The object of my present invention is to improve in the direction of simplicity, cheapness, and reliability of action the weighing and registering mechanisms shown and de scribed in Letters Patent heretofore granted to me,dated February 5,1884, No. 293,129,and July 29, 1884, No. 302,697.

The improvement consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts,which will be readily understood from the following particular description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved automatic weigher and register with a part of its supportingfra-me. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line ac x of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is an isometric View of the swinging guide-plate with its wings and arm for operating the register. Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the drop-bottoms.

The letters A A indicate two stout posts, connected at their tops by a cross-bar, a, from which extend laterally two flat metallic arms, B B, which support a plate, 0, one edge of which is also preferably secured to the crossbar a. At about the center of the plate 0 is an opening,in which sits the hopper D, which projects below the plate somewhat, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 3. At opposite sides of the lower edge of the hopper shoulders b b are formed in the lower edges of the arms B B, and the edges of the arms between the shoulders are curved upward, as at b.

The letter E indicates a main casing or weighing-bin, open at top and divided into two compartments by a partial vertical partition, 6, and a swinging guide-plate, F, which is hinged at the top of said partial partition, and has wings ff, extending laterally in opposite directions at its ends. Upon the top edge of the guide-plate F is fixed longitudinally a bar, 9, the ends of which project beyond the wings ff for a purpose which will presently appear. The main casing has fixed to oppo site sides outsetting brackets H with inwardlyprojecting knife-edges h, which rest in bearings formed near the ends of the two arms 45 z of a bifurcated scalebeam, I, said arms having outwardly -project-ing knife-edges i, which rest in bearings formed in short arms k it, which project from the posts A A of the supporting-frame.

Upon the scalebeam is abalancing-weight, w, which is used only to balance the beam when the parts are all attached and the weighing-poise W is at zero.

The lower edge of the partial partition 6 does not extend quite to the bottom of the main casing, and directly under this edge is pivoted a plate having wings Z Z projecting downward in opposite directions. Centrally below this wing-plate is a bar, 122, which serves as a stop for both wings, so as to limit the downward swing of the same, this bar having upturned ends,by which it is secured to the main casing.

At the lower edge of the guide'plate F two arms, N N, project laterally in opposite direc tions, and have braces a at, extending from them to the plate. The ends of these armsh N are by rods p 1), respectively, connected to two drop-bottoms, Q Q, which are hinged to opposite lower edges of the main casing,so as to close up against the wings Z Z, and these drop-bottoms have flanges q g, which fit outside of the walls of the main casing to prevent lateral escape of grain or material car- The rods 19 p are weighed, and the swinging guide-plate F is turned to one side, so as to close the bottom of one of the compartments, and as the poise W now overbalances the main casing it will be raised and the projecting ends of the bar g take behind the shoulders b at one side of the hopper, so as to prevent the guide-plate F from swinging to the other side. The grain or other material to be Weighed is now allowed to run into the hopper, and thence into the main casing, where it is guided by the guideplate F into the compartment the drop-bottom of which is raised. When a sufficient quantity of the material to be weighed to overbalance the poiseWhas entered the compartment,-the main casing will sink, and the ends of bar 9 being thus withdrawn from the retaming-shoulders b the weight of the weighed charge causes the bottom of the compartment to drop and discharge its load, and at the same time this bottom, acting through its rod N, swings the guide-plate F, so that the opposite drop-bottom is drawn up by the other rod. When the weighed load has been thus discharged, the casing rises, and the projecting ends of arm 9 engage behind the shoulders b to hold the guide-plate at the opposite inclination from that at which it stood before. As soon as the guide-plate changes position it begins to direct the material being weighed into the opposite compartment, even before the casing rises. It will, however, rise, and the parts he held steady until another charge has been weighed, when the discharging operation and shifting of the guide-plate will be performed, as before, and the weighing in and discharging from the opposite compartments 'will continue as long as material is supplied to the hopper.

The wings Z Z of the plate pivoted below the partition prevent the grain or other material from escaping past the inner edges of the drop-bottoms.'

I have not shown the registering mechanism in my drawings, as that which I propose to use in connection with my present improved weighing apparatus is the same as shown in my Patent N 0. 293,139, dated February 5, 1884. I have, however, shown connected with the axis of the guide-plate F a vibratory arm, t, which is to be connected with the registering mechanism for operating the same. The axial pivots 1' r of the guideplate (one of which carries the arm t) project through openings formed to receive them in the walls of the main casing. These pivots are firmly secured to the lower corners of the guide-plate by being formed on the projecting ends of flat bars or plates 1* 7', which are secured on opposite sides of the lower edge of said plate. In order that the guide-plate may work the register properly, it is necessary that the main casing shall rise and sink in a straight line or avoid swinging from side to side, and in order to secure for it a steady vertical motion I connect the lower portion of said main casing with posts A by links, as shown at 1;.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a weighing apparatus of the class described, the combination, with the rising and falling main casing having the swinging guideplate and the drop bottoms hinged to the main casing and connected to the swinging guideplate, of the hopper and the stationary arms having shoulders thereon, the latter arranged to engage said guide-plate when in its two positions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the main casing divided into two compartments and the dropbottoms hinged at the sides and arranged to close toward the vertical dividing partition, of the plate pivoted under said partition and having downwardly-inclined wings against which the free ends of drop-bottoms abut, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the pivoted plate having wings Z Z, of the bar arranged below said plate as a stop for said wings, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the rising and falling main casing having a stationary partition, drop-bottoms located on opposite sides of said partition, and a guide-plate pivoted to the casing above the partition and forming a continuation of said partition, and having laterally-projecting catches, of the stationaryv xco hopper located above the casing, and the shouldered and curved edge rigid arms arranged to engage the projecting catches on the guide-plate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this 105 specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WHERRY, JR.

Witnesses:

F. WM. SMITH, ROBERT H. DOWNEY. 

